Talulla, light of my life, fire of my loins … Ta-loo-la: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate … Ta. Lu. La.

There are many film references too. They are explained (sort of) but we are expected to know the films so Mr. Duncan can use them as a visual shorthand. The literary allusions are more latent, like a seam of subtle humour running through the narrative.

What is not subtle is the repeated refrain, “it wasn’t painless, it wasn’t quick.” This was overdone. The style is very self-conscious and therefore, at times, a little gauche.

Going back to the the Lolita chapter, there is no paedophilia but we get incest and bestiality instead. So that would make the genre literary paranormal horror, then. Quite acceptable on the shelves of any bookshop these days. In fact, when I bought this at Waterstones, the shopkeeper smiled sweetly and told me how much she had loved it.

There are some very descriptive, explicit sex scenes that got me more than a little excited. I’m going to steal some of his brilliant descriptions of sexual congress. No, not steal, allude. The allusions will be a subtle seam of literary humour running through my next erotica story, which will be about a teenage vampire forced to have sex with her stepdad in a nightclub called Caliban’s on New Oxford Street. After which, she will be treated to a Bloody Mary and a camel. (Not the cocktail or the cigarette.)

I checked out Glen Duncan’s favourite books on Goodreads and decided to try Earthly Powers on his recommendation. It’s very long, so if you don’t hear from me for a while, blame Glen Duncan and Anthony Burgess.

There will be more Last Werewolves coming out soon, we’ve been told. Er, not to give too much away… Twin Heirs of The Last Werewolf, perhaps. Just think incest, rape and literary and literal cannibalism.